Seated on a stone step in the countryside, a young girl has realized that her calling in life is to be an artist. Bouguereau was famous for his innovative depictions of children. In 1900 a critic wrote, "[F]ew artists have represented childhood with more tenderness, charm, and spirit than Bouguereauâ€¦[H]e has invented the most picturesque, the most pleasing, the most original scenes of an almost endless variety." Bouguereau was no less famous for his remarkably life-like images. Here he convincingly captures the girl's rough clothing, soft skin, and intense gaze.

Bouguereau painted this work in La Rochelle, a harbor city on France's west coast. During the later years of his life, Bouguereau-by then wealthy and famous-made a habit of spending summers in La Rochelle. There the artist lived in a mansion he owned near the port, working in a greenhouse he had converted into a studio or in the countryside. While in La Rochelle, Bouguereau chose his models from among farm workers, families of local fishermen, or his own servants.

Inscription

Signed lower right: w. bouguereau 1896

Research

To request more information about this object, study images, or bibliography, contact the Ingalls Library Reference Desk.